Son of Iron
by AutobotGuy710
Summary: AU. "Mr. Stark, I think you may be my father." Tony knew the claim wasn't true, but somehow, someway, the boy who spoke those words still got under his skin. Who knew that a single lie from one boy's deceased mother could send Tony Stark on the longest and scariest adventure of all: parenthood.
1. The Boy

A/N: So, I always said I would know when I was ready to start this fic. And so here we are, this fic is a bit of an "epic" literal YEARS in the making. No, this is not in the "Superfamily" universe and Peter Parker is not the child in the summary. This fic will begin shortly after Iron Man 2 ended and continue on until I feel it's best suited to end. It could encompass through Infinity War as I literally have years upon years of ideas, but we'll see.

Either way - here it is, the very first ever chapter of "Son of Iron". I truly hope it works out as well as I'd hoped.

DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING other than Ryan and other OCs that will show up from time-to-time, period.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1  
The Boy  
**

Ryan Porter stood outside the doors to Stark Industries silently, debating on going in.

Perhaps he knew it was a dumb idea - but there was also the side of him that prodded him, begged him to go in. But yet again, his thoughts went toward what he would say. What would he do? How would the man that he wanted to see react?

Tony Stark was, after all, one of the busiest men alive. Between running Stark Industries, and being the "Invincible Iron Man", he had to lead quite the charmed life. Too charmed to even bother meeting a shaggy haired, thin thirteen year old that simply wanted to meet the man his mother had told him about.

Ryan wasn't even sure that Tony was his father. Chances were great that he wasn't, in fact. But this was, after all, an act of desperation. One of a few men his mother had been involved with before she'd had him. Of course, he wasn't even sure that his mother was telling the truth. She'd been on so many drugs at the end of her life that a part of him wondered if the intrepid love affair she'd had with Tony had all been a lie.

Yet still, he knew he had to try. He'd just moved to his sixteenth foster home in the past seven years, and now, he was facing a boys home. A place where he knew many kids went in - but few had even the slightest chance of finding what he desperately craved: a home.

He'd tried five men his mother had mentioned already. Yet all of them had turned out to be false leads, or dead ends. Tony was the second to last on the list, and the highest profile. But he also seemed to be the type to be caught at his mother's strip club, and get a little too "friendly" with her.

With a sharp intake of breath, the boy found his courage. Convincing himself that he had to if he had even the smallest of hopes of succeeding. He took a shaky hold of the door handle, and took one step into the office building, and then another, and another...

He planned it all out in his head, how he was going to politely ask to see Mr. Stark. How he was going to keep his cool despite the high levels of anxiety that built up inside of him. But as he made it to the front desk, and looked at the young secretary at the welcome desk, he felt his resolve falter. "Hello young man, what can I do for you?" Came her gentle question.

"I-I'm..." Ryan's voice caught in his throat. "I'm here to see Mr. Stark."

She gave the sweetest of smiles. "I'm sorry... But Mr. Stark is a busy man." She told him, trying to tell him off in a nice way. "If you'd-."

"Can you just tell him that the son of Zelda Porter is here?"

"I'm sorry, Zelda who?"

Ryan chewed his lip, his eyes darting around the office. What did he do? This woman wouldn't let him through, he realized. With a deep, raspy breath, he took some steps backward. "No one. Forget I said anything... This was stupid." He commented, turning around. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Of course, he'd be the one to back right up into him.

At first, Ryan thought he'd stepped into just any old man. After all, seeing the famous Tony Stark out in the world - in civilian clothing was not something one had happen everyday. And yet when he turned around, there he was, having been knocked a little ajar by him taking a few steps back into him.

Ryan's world stopped, time seemed to stand still, and then, before Tony could go on his way he shouted... "Tony Stark!" It froze the man who had already started off, a bodyguard to his right, in his tracks. "I'm... My name's Ryan..." He started forward, but found a hand held in front of him by the bodyguard.

"I'm sorry, son. But Mr. Stark is a busy man..."

"Mr. Stark, my name is Ryan Porter. You knew my mom, Zelda."

That seemed to grab the man's attention. Because within a moment, Tony had turned to face the young lad. Pushing his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, he looked over the young man slowly. "Is that name supposed to mean something kid?" He asked, seeming to indulge the claim.

"It should." Ryan replied. "You... You and her went out for a while, years ago... I thought you'd at least remember her."

Tony snorted, as if amused at his statement. "Sorry, Ryan, was it? I've had a lot of relationships with a lot of people. I can't remember them all." Tony looked as though he was trying to get off the subject. "So what is it you want? An autograph? Trying to use an old connection to get one?"

But as Tony reached into his pocket for a pen and paper, Ryan let all of his resolve fall. He let all of the casualness fall too. His anxiety got the better of him, and before Tony could say anything more, he half-shouted: "Mr. Stark, I think you may be my father."

Tony looked at him as if he'd been punched in the gut for all of five seconds. But got his resolve quickly. "You said your mom's name was...?"

"Zelda... Zelda Porter." Ryan replied. "You dated her for three years. But you broke up with her after your third anniversary."

Tony sighed, as if he was trying to avoid this. And it was in that moment that Ryan realized that Tony hadn't been listening before, and now that he was, he knew her. "Sorry, kid. But you've got the wrong man." Tony replied. "You're only, what, thirteen?"

"Yeah..." Ryan felt his face go red.

"Well, I'm sorry to say this. But your mom and I dated fifteen years ago." Tony replied, being nothing but blunt in a way that already embarrassed Ryan. "And it wasn't for three years, it was for three months. Where the hell did you get this ridiculous idea...?"

"My mom told me..."

"Yeah, no offense kid. But part of the reason I let her go was because you could barely trust her." Tony's words pierced the young man like an arrow to the heart. "Maybe you should go talk to her and get the real facts before you come in here. Making comments like that in the middle of my company's lobby..."

"I can't." Ryan replied. "She's dead."

Tony's brow furrowed a bit, especially as he saw the dejected look on the boy's face. "Oh, well, my condolences then." He paused. "Look, I feel for you. I really do. But I can't be of any real help to you, kid. I barely knew your mom, and once we broke up I didn't talk to her again. So, I mean, you should probably..."

"Move on." Ryan grunted. "You're the tenth guy to tell me that."

"Wow. Number ten? Your mom sure got around."

"Tony." His bodyguard, Happy, took a step forward, taking hold of his arm. "Come on, leave the kid alone."

Ryan stood his ground, however, not letting his resolve fall again. "It's OK. It was a long shot." Tony looked a bit perplexed. "It was still worth a shot... Thank you for your time, Mr. Stark. I'm sorry for embarrassing you. I just didn't know how else to ask."

Tony watched him silently as Ryan turned around to leave. For a moment, he considered leaving on his way as he'd already planned to. But within another moment, the inevitable guilt of how he'd handled the situation set in. "Look, kid." Ryan turned his head back towards the multi-billionaire as he made his way over, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You need a ride somewhere, or something? Soccer game? School?"

Ryan shook his head. "That's OK, Mr. Stark. I've caused you enough trouble."

"Yeah, but that, that's bad publicity." Tony told him bluntly, poking the boy in the chest. "So let me drive you somewhere before we end up on the cover of the local tabloids. The last thing I need is a gaggle of reporters waiting to ask you questions."

"But you're not my dad."

"I know, that's what makes it bad." Tony lied - trying to hide his guilt.

He really didn't know what he was doing, but at least he could get rid of that tight feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Ryan had never ridden in a limousine before.

They sat on opposite ends, looking at each other rather uncertain. It was after a long - uncertain amount of time that Tony spoke up. "So, that took... Some form of balls to do." Ryan raised his eyebrow. "Do you always decide to publically ask your potential fathers that?"

Ryan shook his head, looking down. "I knew I would never get an appointment. What was I supposed to do?" He asked, to which Tony gave a casual, quiet shrug on his shoulders. "I should have known my mom was lying though... She always did."

"Yeah... Let's not get into any sob story. I've heard enough of those from enough "illegitimate children" that have shown up at my doorstep." Ryan's eyes bulged at that. "Don't look too shocked. You're number twelve."

"Did you take them all in a limo?"

"No, because none of them pulled a desperate stunt like that."

Ryan literally wanted to go and die somewhere at that comment. He looked outside the window, watching as the world rolled by. "I just want out of my situation, Mr. Stark." He explained. "I mean, you were an orphan too, right? You can at least understand..."

Tony looked a little confused. "You're an orphan?"

Ryan shrugged. "I think so. Dad's out of the picture, my grandparents are dead... That pretty much makes me an orphan." Tony frowned, but finally nodded in agreement. "But lucky for you, you got a multi-billion dollar company. Me? I got a list of possible father's and crappy stints in multiple foster homes."

Tony held out a hand. "OK, seriously kid. If we're going to make it through this car ride, you need to stop with this. You're depressing me, and I have lunch with a business partner in an hour." He explained, tapping the watch on his wrist. "So you have ten seconds to get yourself out of that puddle of self pity or I'm dropping you off here."

Ryan looked at him annoyed. "You know, you're kind of an ass."

Tony chuckled, as if finding the words amusing. "Well, at least you don't hold back. Usually a kid like you would be worshiping the ground I walked on. It's annoying really."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "No offense, but my favorite "superhero" was Captain America. You know, the guy from the forties?" Tony frowned, clearly very acquainted with the namesake - though hardly in person. "Maybe if you can bring him back from the dead I'd be starstruck. Or at least were in the Iron Man suit."

And with that - Tony actually smirked. It was almost strange, but he liked this kid - if only because he didn't hold back. It was actually amusing. "I didn't exactly bring my portable suit with me." He explained. "So where do you go from here?"

"Nowhere else. The last guy is in Nebraska." Ryan groaned, leaning back as he stared at Tony. "I guess wait until I'm eighteen and go looking then."

"Yeah, I'd say you're going to need a miracle with your mother's apparent memory."

"Watch it, she may not have been all there... Or really very nice to me... But she was still my mother."

Tony tried to hold back another quip in response to that. Though he supposed it was only fair, no one liked a guy talking badly about their mother. "Right, well, how much further are we to your foster home?" He asked.

"Boy's home." Ryan corrected. "And almost there... Don't worry, you won't hear from me again after that."

"Who said I was worried?" Tony pushed his sunglasses up his nose again. "I can honestly tell you this isn't going to effect me much at all. Other than making me late for my appointment."

"Don't look at me. You're the one that insisted." Ryan shrugged.

"You know, with that attitude maybe I'm wrong. Let's do a paternity test!" Tony replied sarcastically.

He was surprised when instead of taking offense, Ryan only laughed. He looked at Tony, and then added. After a moment, he looked at Tony, clearing his throat. "Look, thanks for the ride and all. You really didn't have to." He explained.

"Eh, it's like I said, reporters and all that junk..."

"No one could get tipped off that quickly." Ryan explained. "I know you were just trying to be nice, so thanks..."

After a moment, Ryan looked out the window again, and with one finger pointed out a large building. "Uh... This is my stop." Tony knocked on the window to give a signal to Happy before the limo came to a stop. "Uh... Thanks again."

"Don't mentio it. Don't show up again unannounced like that and we'll call it even." Tony replied, giving a tip of an imaginary hat.

Tony watched the boy get out rather quietly, but didn't have to for long. Within moments, he and Happy were yet again driving down the streets of Los Angeles. But even as he got his mind back in gear towards the meeting he was about to go to, he couldn't help but let his mind travel back to the boy...

He was quite the character. And even if he was a bit... Unusual, he had to admit, he'd certainly gotten his attention. And whether that was a good thing or not, he assumed, would be revealed in time.

In the meantime, he knew that Pepper would give him a mouthful when he told her the story.

* * *

A/N: Woo, first chapter at last! I really hope this came out as good as it did in my head. It's my first Marvel-set fic so if anything is OOC about Tony or any others just feel free to let me know, I am all for constructive feedback after all.


	2. Mentor

GUEST: Thank you, I have spent a lot of time plotting out this fic to make it different. So I'm glad you feel this way! :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2  
Mentor  
**

Tony hadn't slept well since the day he met that dang kid.

Well really, that was nothing new. He hadn't slept well in a long time, ever since he'd picked up the Iron Man mantle. But that boy, Ryan, well, he had seemed to take an effect on him that he'd almost call alien. He sighed, and rubbed the back of his head thinking about him for the third time that week as he sat up and draped his legs over the side of his bed.

He guessed part of it was thinking about Zelda Turner having a kid. She was one of Tony's most despised relationships given she was a compulsive liar, and even moreso a mean spirited person. Of course, Tony had been the latter once upon a time, so it really spoke volumes on the kind of person she had been. Enough of one that even he couldn't stand to be with her.

He knew there was a snowball's chance in hell she treated Ryan right as his mother. And now where was he? In foster care, facing an equally hard life.

He looked quietly towards Pepper as she snoozed on the left side of the bed. She'd already chewed him out about how he'd handled the situation - as if matters needed to be made worse. Of course he'd handled it terribly, so many of these kids were looking for money, looking to take advantage of him along with their mothers.

Yet this kid? This kid has just been in search of kinship to save him from a hard life and future.

He'd be lying if he said that hadn't freaked him out. Regardless of if it was his son or not, he felt terrible for the kid. Even if he couldn't do anything and he knew it - short of giving the kid a ton of cash, and something told him that Ryan wasn't big on charity.

He decided that given it was already seven in the morning, he'd get up. Maybe grab himself a cup of joe, and read the articles online. Anything to get his mind on something else. He of course had only made it to the kitchen when JARVIS booted up. "Mr. Stark, I've been informed by Ms. Potts that if you got up at any time other than ten-thirty this morning to respectfully remind you that you need to get back to bed. You are losing precious sleep-."

"Duly noted. Tried, couldn't." Tony replied sharply

"She expresses how worried she is about you."

Tony sighed, making his way towards the coffee pot, and immediately setting out to make himself some coffee. "How many times do I have to tell her that I'm fine before she believes me?" Tony asked in frustration. "I've been dealing with insomnia since the incident with Hammer."

"Maybe so, sir. But your mind has been in other places as well." Jarvis replied, making Tony really wish he wasn't everywhere. "Perhaps I could phone social services, see if I can learn more about the boy."

Tony leaned against the counter, shaking his head. "Drop it, Jarvis. The kid shook me up is all..." He insisted with a groan. "And besides if I wanted to do that I could do it myself. I feel bad for the kid, that doesn't mean I want to play "daddy"."

There was silence at that, the only sound being that of Tony pouring his newly brewed coffee into a mug. "Jarvis, I told you to make him get some rest." Right on cue, in came Pepper, likely having just woken up.

"Apologies, Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark is being difficult this morning."

The redheaded girlfriend of said-billionare gave an "oh, really?" look before moving past Tony to grab her own cup of coffee. "Listen, Tony. If you're going to think about him this much, you should at least go and see the kid." Pepper replied. "Figure out whatever it is you need to."

Tony scoffed. "I've never been good with kids. He and I could barely get through a thirty minute limousine ride."

Pepper gave a roll of her eyes, taking a seat on the counter. She gave a look of pure frustration into Tony's eyes that told him he was about to get a lecture. "Tony, you're acting like by just making sure this kid is OK you're already adopting him." She told her boyfriend rather bluntly. "Just go to his group home, ask to see him. See if there's any way you can help him... There are lots of other ways to help kids like Ryan that aren't adoption."

"Who said I cared all that much if my ex's kid is doing OK?" Tony asked pointedly.

Pepper raised her eyebrows, as if he was being stupid again. "Tony, you told me what his mom was like as if you were going over what she did to him in your head already." Tony hated when she did that, reading him like a cheap, predictable book. "You're only going to drive yourself more and more crazy until you go and talk to him..."

"Pepper..."

"Tony." Pepper asserted. "You don't have anything going on today. Just go and talk to the damn kid and stop being so stubborn."

The man gave a grunt of absolute frustration, but after a long, quiet moment, he finally replied. "I'll think about it... In-between working on my new suit." Pepper gave another eye roll as he trudged toward the entrance to his workshop. "And that does not mean you win. That means I'll think about it..."

Pepper already knew that was a lie.

* * *

"Wow, is that Tony Stark outside?"

"No lie, you're full of crap."

Ryan raised his head from his homework at the words of his two roommates quietly. Surely that was a joke. Even after he'd seen Tony a few weeks ago, that was so long ago he'd probably forgotten the entire event. He had better things to do - made evident by the fact that he'd just been out of the country saving a small group of people... Or something of that nature.

"Shut up guys, it was a stupid idea, OK?" Ryan spoke up, knowing full well they were probably making fun of him given he'd shared what he did with them. "I need to focus on this algebra homework."

"Uh, dude, we're not kidding." One of them, a younger boy by the name of Tyrese spoke up. "He's literally right outside right now... Holy crap, he has a nice car."

Ryan got to his feet, deciding to just indulge in the joke. But as he got to the window, he couldn't help but look in surprise himself. Because there he was, outside and talking to one of the young women working at the group home. "Wow, what did you do?" Orion, the other boy, asked. "Were you really his kid or something?"

"No. That's what's weird." Ryan murmured.

All the same, he was out the door to his "dorm room" and down the stairs in a flash. Most of the kids were already gathering in pure curiosity. So pushing his way through them was a pain in the rear, but he still did it. Wanting to see just as much as they did what the heck was going on.

"Look, I'm not asking to borrow him long, I just want to..." Ryan heard Tony's voice break through the gathered foster kids. "Hey, there he is. What's up kid?"

Ryan was pretty gobsmacked by the casual way that the billionaire said it. He was acting like there was nothing well, weird about this. Showing up, unannounced at the boys' home that his not-son lived at. "Mr. Stark, don't take this the wrong way, but what are you doing here?" He asked, his voice filled with confusion. "You realize this is pretty much how you get those reporters you were avoiding yesterday on your doorstep."

"You called me out on that crap yesterday first of all." Tony pointed out. "And secondly, you don't like it when someone causes a scene? Oh, well, I just assumed you'd be cool when the shoe was on the other foot."

Gabrielle, the young woman he'd been talking to, shot Ryan a look that said they'd be talking about THAT later. She flipped her hair a bit. "Either way, I can't let you just take Ryan... There are rules against that."

"Ah, I see... How much is it going to take to get around that?"

Ryan looked mortified as Tony, being well, the infamous Tony Stark reached for his wallet. Gabrielle wasn't exactly known for her patience, so before he could go any further, he took her arm. "It's OK Ms. Gabby, I must have forgotten something the other day. This won't be long." He immediately moved towards Tony, and moved him away. "Are you serious right now? Ms. Gabby is the last person you try to bribe. She'll eat you alive." He whispered in an almost scolding way.

Tony shrugged, turning around as he and Ryan walked down the path. "Money talks in most situations like this. Though if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I don't know much about how foster care works." Ryan nodded, that much was obvious. "So, how can I get you out of here for the next hour or so?"

"You're... Kidding, right?" Ryan asked, his voice a little tight. "I thought we were done after the ride you gave me."

That was a good question, but Tony was prepared for it. "Look, I just felt bad how we left things. I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what life you've had... At least if your mom was anything to go by." He explained, trying to keep things casual. "I thought maybe I could at least be a little nicer to you. Take you out to lunch, something..."

Ryan looked confused, was Tony Stark really asking this? He looked over at Gabrielle, who was tapping her foot. Of course, he knew how to get her to let him go and face trouble for letting him go off with someone not home approved. But... Did he really want to? What was Tony's game anyway?

He took a deep breath, and turned his head toward Tony again. His stomach growling seemed to be the answer, but really... Was he making a mistake? He didn't know. He wasn't huge on trusting easily and the whole situation seemed weird. And yet... Free lunch, and probably at some shwanky place too.

It took a long moment, but they finally decided.

* * *

"Wow, I feel way out of place."

It was true, honestly. Ryan felt weird sitting in one of the nicest diners in the LA area in a seat in front of Tony Stark a little bit crazy. But at the same time, he knew part of the answer was to look like he belonged there, and thus was desperately trying. "Yeah, well, don't feel too bad. I'm going to get most of the stares, being with some random kid and all." Tony explained, he shifted a little in his seat and looked at Ryan. "So..."

"So, can we talk about why you invited me to lunch?" Ryan asked. "I thought you would have been pretty happy I didn't show up again."

Tony scoffed a little, and shook his head. "I guess I just had you on my mind lately. Or rather, how your mother used to act." Tony admitted, trying to be honest since he knew this boy was good at catching lies. "I really just wanted to make sure I hadn't kicked down someone who'd had enough of that."

Ryan looked away, not sure exactly how he was going to answer that. He sighed quietly, resting his cheek against his hand. "Like you said, you know what it was like with her. I've had a crappy life, Mr. Stark... But I thought you didn't like sob stories." After a long moment, he added. "If you're asking if I was like... Devastated or something, I can't say I was. I'm used to being let down..."

Tony frowned a bit. "Yeah, well, welcome to life kid. Life is full of let down's. Though I really am sorry I couldn't help you. I mean, I get what it's like feeling alone..." He paused a moment. "Probably not as alone as you though. I had friends, and... Well a man I thought was looking out for my best interest."

"Thought?"

"He tried to kill me later on... It's a long story." Tony tried to get his mind away from Obadiah Stane. "Point is, your situation does suck. So I figured I'd do something to bring at least a little light into your life."

Ryan crossed his arms, clearly not trusting it. But Tony knew it was mostly true - he did feel bad. Even if this was also about his mental state since the event there was truth in that. "And where do we go from here? You think one lunch will do much?" Tony looked ready to argue that, but then set his jaw. "It's really nice of you, just like the ride was. But I need a permanent escape from that place, not just some random rich guy going out and buying me lunch."

"Yeah, I'm not really sure I can help you there." Tony shook his head, raising his eyebrow. "I don't have many friends jumping on the bandwagon of kids any time soon."

"Yeah, and what about you?" Tony would have spat out the water in front of him if he'd been drinking it at that comment. "Relax, dude, I was kidding. You don't look like the type to have kids."

That wasn't entirely true, as the hero could tell him. Tony had been thinking about kids since he and Pepper had gotten together. But that... That wasn't exactly the way he intended for it to happen, and he wasn't about to jump on it either. "There'll be a Tony Stark Jr. or two in my future. But I can honestly say I'm pretty sure my girlfriend would freak out if I brought a teenage boy home." Ryan gave a smirk in response. "You wouldn't want me around anyway. The world can't handle the two of us around each other that long."

"The snarky quips alone would be too much."

"Exactly."

And yet...

Would it have been so bad? No. But Tony was not about to start thinking about that. He and Pepper had been together a month - and the actual thought of being a father right now scared him. But the alternative, well, he had some thoughts. "Look, I get that you need more anyway. So I think I can at least spend more time with you." He explained. "When I'm not busy at least."

Ryan snorted. "You mean like mentoring? Are you kidding? When would you have time. You're a superhero..."

Tony shrugged, then motioned around. "I have time right now. I'm not always out saving the world you know." He looked at Ryan, who was suddenly very interested in his plate. "What? You're not interested in that? Come on, kid. I'm trying to help."

"I've had mentors, Mr. Stark..."

"Just call me Tony already, the "Mr. Stark" thing is getting old."

"Fine Tony..." Ryan then continued with a frustrated sigh. "They come and go... They always do. Just like you would. I don't need another mentor. I need somewhere to sleep where I don't share a room with two other kids. And an actual life..."

"So that's a no then?"

Ryan looked at him with a look that said it all. God, this kid was stubborn. At the very least he could show appreciation for the fact he was offering. "You're really nice to offer, Tony. And if you want to see me again, or be my mentor... That's cool. I'm just saying I don't think it will change anything." He admitted. "Eventually you'll get bored of me. Or just decide you don't have the time."

Tony couldn't believe this. Was this kid that desperate? Enough so that he made it clear that he needed more than that? If he was trying to send the billionaire on a guilt trip, well, he was doing one hell of a job, because he was actually considering it. If only because, well, he felt a great deal of pity for the boy.

But he also recognized he couldn't just uproot his life because he pitied the teen.

So with a sip of his water, he looked Ryan in the eyes. "Let's just get through lunch. Then you can tell me after if you want me as a mentor." Tony explained. "But I'm no guardian kid. I'm not the guy you're looking for. So you're probably right not to get your hopes up there."

If Ryan felt disappointment there, he didn't betray it with any look in his eyes. "Alright, if you insist..." He finally gave in, clearing his throat. "So... Uh, what exactly should I order here? I can't even pronounce half of this French stuff..."

Recognizing his attempt to change the subject, Tony decided to do so as well. At least for the moment, they'd settle this, but before long he knew they'd revisit it. He'd gotten himself into this situation, and now they'd probably forever be stuck in this "yes or no" game of what their relationship was going to be.

"Here, let me run you through it. If anything I can probably teach you a bit about culture."

He didn't know it, but that lunch would be the first step into a relationship with someone he'd never expect.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so this will be a slower burn to Tony taking Ryan in obviously. I don't want to just jump right into that. Their relationship is too complicated for that. :) Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this!


	3. Difficult Attachments

A/N: Thank you everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed so far. I've been working so hard on this and the fact it's being so warmly received makes me feel great!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3  
Difficult Attachments  
**

"Wow, this is your house?"

"I know right, it's nice."

Ryan had to hand it to Tony, for all his doubts this was a good way of showing he was serious about things. He'd really only been his mentor a couple of weeks now, but that day he had decided to take him to his house. Somewhere he doubted many kids had ever seen - or any, really for that matter.

The house itself was huge, he noted. With the entirety of his living room literally being about the size of his last foster home. The tech alone all around seemed to be about the coolest thing he could imagine too. "So where's the "Iron Cave" in this place?" He asked pointedly.

"Excuse me - the what?"

"Oh come on. You had to take a page from Batman's book in a place like this right? I bet you've got a wicked sweet "Batcave" set-up somewhere." He looked over to see Tony giving him a look like he had just turned into a fire breathing dragon. "Seriously? You're a superhero. You have to have read at least some comics, right?"

"I was a little busy graduating from MIT when I was younger."

"Did you at least see the Nolan movies?"

"I'll pass. I live the life of one of those guys. It's not like watching them does much for me." Tony then added, leading the boy towards the kitchen. "But if you mean where the magic happens. That's a secret you're not ready for."

Ryan groaned, showing clear disappointment at that. "Seriously, you invited me to spend some time at your place and you aren't going to show me the suits? That's so stupid!" Tony looked surprised by the statement. "Come on, I've always wanted to see Iron Man up close."

Tony was already regretting bringing him here. Why the heck did this kid have to act like this? "If I may, Mr. Stark lets few inside his inner sanctum as it is." Ryan jumped, looking freaked out by the voice of Jarvis.

"Relax kid. That's Jarvis. He runs the place."

"... And he is where?"

"All around her, he's an AI that I invented." Tony replied as if he'd asked a stupid question. "It's OK though, he's nothing to get freaked out over. He even knows who you are."

"Really?" Ryan asked.

"Well, yeah, if I'm going to be your mentor he had better." Tony then added. "Jarvis, make a note, until I decide to show it to him the basement is off-limits to Ryan. Only way to override it is if I give the OK."

"Really? The basement of your house? You're so copying Batman!"

Tony really wanted to slap this kid. But reminded himself quietly that he was supposed to be nice to the kid. Being a mentor might not have been the easiest thing in the world, but all things considered he liked him despite his weirdness and snarky attitude. "Whatever you want to think kid." He put a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "So, anything else..."

"I want to see the suits, Tony." Ryan replied. "Why else would you bring me here?"

"I don't know - some quality time. I have a giant plasma screen TV, Xbox, the works. Surely we can find something to do that doesn't involve Iron Man." Tony tried to insist, though the look of disappointment on Ryan's face wasn't helping. "Look, kid, my lab is very private to me, and... Aw screw it... Wait right here."

Ryan wondered what that meant as Tony turned around to head toward who knows where. The teen sighed, he'd really hoped to get a look at how the suit worked. Or maybe even at suits he hadn't even used yet. But he also guessed that was a lot to ask for on his first visit to the Stark household.

He'd stood there for a while before he heard the footsteps. The metallic nature of it gave away what was happening, but he still tried to act surprised at the sight of a metal, red and gold man. "Alright, here... I'm not taking you down to the lab. But at the very least I'm giving you an honor no one your age has had." He explained, pointing to the teen. "Now will you quit whining."

"Whoa, that is so sick!" Ryan ran up to Tony, inspecting the armor he wore. "Man, can you imagine if you mass-produced these? It'd be pretty-."

"Bad. Considering the ramifications." Ryan shrugged, but knew that Tony was probably right. "This is pretty good though. It's my latest model, still working on some kinks, but hey... It should be fight ready in the next few weeks."

Ryan crossed his arms. Alright, now he felt special, getting to see a new suit of Tony's before anyone else. "So does it do anything really cool?" Ryan asked. "I mean, obviously all the usual stuff... But."

"It's going to be a bit like my suitcase suit. Something I can call from anywhere really." The genius explained. "It's hard to explain in ways a non-genius would understand without showing you. But trust me, when you get to see it it's going to be cool."

Suddenly, Ryan really wished he was a genius so he could know even more. But also took a deep breath. "Well this is really cool... So you've satisfied me, for now." Ryan replied. "One of these days I'm going to see your inner sanctum though."

"Yeah, sure kid."

Ryan couldn't really tell whether Tony meant that sarcastically or not. "Sir, I don't mean to interrupt. But I would like to note that Ms. Potts will be home in no less than half an hour." He jumped again as Jarvis spoke up. "Also, Mr. Porter, are you going to jump every time I speak? Perhaps I need to give better warning."

"Just going to take getting used to." Ryan sighed. "Who's Ms. Potts?"

"Ah, that would be my girlfriend. And she wouldn't exactly approve of me bringing an experimental suit for a teenager to see." Ryan smirked as Tony stepped out of the suit, putting a hand on its shoulder. "Just so you know, she doesn't take the thick sarcasm as well as me. So I'd dial it back a notch."

"Wait, she's coming here in thirty minutes? Like... I'm going to meet her?"

Tony chuckled already hearing the nervousness in the kid's voice. "Either that or you can leave. But it's going to be a long walk back to the group home." Ryan looked like he wanted to die. "God, relax, Ryan. She doesn't bite... Unless you bite first."

Ryan looked a little nervous, thinking through what he could say to get out of it already. It was hard to say whether or not he could handle another new person. Despite his bravery, Ryan could be a bit on the painfully shy side. So the thought of suddenly being with Tony _and_ his girlfriend made his stomach do cartwheels.

He finally settled for... "Why can't we just go for a flight or something? Can you even carry someone with it?" Tony raised an eyebrow, probably noticing how he stumbled over his words nervously. "I mean, I've always wanted to-."

"Yes, and no I'm not taking you on one." Tony replied, interrupting him. "Seriously, take a deep breath. She's bringing Chinese take-out, a personal favorite of mine. It's not like we're doing a fancy steak dinner or something."

"You do take-out?" Ryan asked.

"What can I say? I'm a busy man, I can't always cook." Tony nodded, pointing down a hallway. "Now like I said, go wash up. Then we can put on a movie or play a video game until she gets here, I guess. I didn't go out and buy an Xbox for no reason."

"Wait, you actually bought an Xbox?" Ryan asked, trying to mask how excited he was.

"Well, had to have something fun in here for us to do I guess." Came the honest response as Tony continued to wave him off. "So go."

In the meantime, Tony hoped he would focus on that so that he could get the suit out of there. The last thing he needed was to be talked into something dangerous like a flight before Pepper got there.

* * *

"So, Ryan, what do you like to do?"

Ryan looked across the dinning room table they sat at, almost amused by Pepper's question. Was that the first question that everyone, foster parent or not, asked kids like him? "Well, I'm not a genius like Tony if that's what you're asking." He paused. "I'm a writer. Fiction mostly... I like to write lots of stuff about space, and knights and... Yeah."

Pepper tried to look impressed, but Ryan had a feeling she wasn't all that much. She'd probably expected someone who'd once thought he was related to Tony to be super smart. But really, he was average, at least according to his grades. "That's pretty cool, actually. Do you have a favorite subject?"

Ryan shrugged. "Uhhhh. Not to be a kiss-up or anything. But I really like writing about superheroes. I kind of want to one day make my own comic book." Tony didn't seem all too surprised after the Batman talk earlier. "I mean, if I don't decide to become one myself. These days I actually think that'd be really cool."

Tony snorted, amused at the thought of being a superhero being "cool". "Kid, don't go into that line of work - just keep writing about them. If there's one real piece of advice I can give you - it's that the superhero life is not as glamorous as you think. You're better off being average."

"You did it though, you must have thought it'd be cool."

"I did it because the world needed an Iron Man. Especially after all of the catastrophes my company ended up causing." Tony explained, pointing it out to Ryan very bluntly. "If you're going to go and take on the world, at least have a reason. Especially to risk your life on a daily basis and live in fear of the moment someone finds out who you are..."

"I could always do what you did and skip the secret identity."

"Yeah, don't do that either. That came back to bite me in the ass." Tony admitted.

Ryan crossed his arms, looking like he wanted to argue it further. But at the same time, he also knew that chances were high that he wouldn't ever get the chance. "I have to agree with Tony, here. As surprised that I am that he's actually giving you sound advice." Pepper commented. "Besides, you're way too young to be thinking about that."

"Robin was a little kid half the time."

"Robin is a character from a comic book." Tony replied. "In the real world he'd get shot dead only wearing those spandex."

Pepper looked as though she wanted to change the subject. And so, racking her brain, she finally spoke up with something different. "So, Tony and I were talking..." She explained. "Did you want to see Stark Tower up close and personal?"

"Like the tour? I went on one last year."

"No, to the places that the tours don't get to go." Pepper caught Tony's look of surprise, as if he had not actually ever talked to him about this. "I can imagine that'd be pretty cool for a kid like you. Getting to see all the cooler projects early, right?"

Ryan smiled brightly, and then with a bit too much enthusiasm replied. "It sure would! Tony won't even let me look at his secret lair. All he'd show me was the new Iron Man suit." Tony facepalmed as Pepper already looked stunned at Tony. "It was pretty cool, but an inside scoop on-."

"You brought that suit around Ryan?"

"It was powered down, and totally safe." Tony replied.

"It's blown up three times!"

Tony looked at Ryan with a look of exhaustion. "You're not even my kid and you're still getting me in trouble like one..." He scowled.

Ryan gave an apologetic look to Tony, only now realizing he was serious about Pepper. He looked at the very frustrated looking CEO and added. "So... When can I get that tour?" She turned to him. "I mean the weekend's almost over."

Pepper looked thoughtful. "Do you think the group home would let you stay overnight? We can bring you to work with us tomorrow." She explained.

"Pepper, I'm not sure that's a great idea." Tony admitted.

"Why not? You could ask about it when you drop him off. He gets a change of clothes, and pajamas. You only have, what? Sixteen guest bedrooms?" Pepper asked bluntly, to which Tony simply frowned. "As long as Ryan's OK with it."

Ryan looked unsure of himself. Not knowing if Tony would be OK with it, and not wanting to step on his new mentor's toes. But after a moment, Tony heaved a sigh. "I guess it'd be OK, as long as the group home let it happen."

"I... I think they might." Ryan then asked. "I mean they OKed your home for me to come over, right?"

"Yeah, which was annoying." Tony replied. "Why don't you go call who you need to and find out..."

"Alright, be right back."

As soon as Ryan had set down his chopsticks and left the room, Tony turned to Pepper with a half-glare. "You're evil... Setting that up on purpose. What game are you playing here?"

Of course, Pepper simply shrugged. "I just want to make the kid happy, that's all. Again, you told me what his mom was like. And you're the one mentoring him." Tony took a deep breath, trying not to get frustrated. "It'll be fine, Tony. It's one night..."

"I just don't want him to get too attached." Tony admitted.

"Him, or you?" Pepper asked pointedly in response.

Tony most definitely would not fall into that trap.

* * *

Of course, the group home had agreed without much struggle. Ryan had a feeling they were hoping if they kept Tony happy he might donate money more than anything. So after dinner, and a few rounds of Call of Duty, they'd gone to the group home and picked up what he needed for the next day.

Of course, Ryan had expected to get a tiny bedroom when he'd returned. But instead, Tony opened up the door to a beautiful guest bedroom. With a wall made of glass that almost made it a giant window. It was fitted with a king bed, some dressers, a desk, and a lot of artwork. The warm feeling it gave almost enveloped Ryan.

"This is your guest bedroom?" Ryan asked.

"One of them, the nicest one. You didn't think I was going to stick you with anyone, did you?" Tony asked, giving a half smile, and patting the teenager on the back. "Just don't expect me to tuck you in or kiss you goodnight, OK?"

Ryan gave Tony a playful slug. "Hey, I'm thirteen, not three." He replied bluntly. "This is just... Really nice Tony, thanks."

Tony nodded, allowing Ryan to set his stuff on the ground next to his nightstand. He seated himself on the soft bed, before carefully laying on it. It was so soft and cushiony that he really couldn't complain. It was probably going to be the best sleep he'd ever had in his life. "Right, well, Pepper and I are down the hall." Tony explained. "And Jarvis is here if you need anything too. Just call out his name, he'll assist you."

"Mmmhmmm." Ryan said, taking it all in.

"Really liking that bed huh?"

Ryan was silent a moment. "I've just never slept on anything like it. I uh... I only had a bed when I entered foster care. So I haven't had the best examples. But this is the softest thing I've ever felt."

Tony's heart sunk. Zelda hadn't even given her own child a bed to sleep on? He shuddered to think what the boy had had... But he quickly shook the thought out of his head, he couldn't think about that. Otherwise, he'd be sick to his stomach and sleep would probably be impossible.

"Right, well, goodnight kid." Tony commented. "Bathroom's across the hall to brush your teeth and all."

"Goodnight, Tony."

As Tony exited the room quietly, he took a deep breath. That one comment really had completely shaken him. And not for the first time, he really wondered if he could do this without breaking... Or at least breaking down a lot of barriers he had set up. But really, it was only two days. Two days they'd pretty much spend the majority of the day together...

"Jarvis, keep your censors on Ryan's room." He told the AI calmly. "If anything particularly unusual happens, alert me immediately."

"Understood, Mr. Stark."

Tony glanced back at the door, and then slowly walked towards the living room. Yeah, he definitely wasn't ready to answer that question Pepper presented.


	4. Getting To Know Ryan

A/N: Thanks to my new "Avengers" beta, **CoGDork** , for working on this chapter for me! Woo, took a while to update but life has been crazy lately. XD

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**  
 **Getting To Know Ryan**

The smell of pancakes wafted into Ryan's nostrils.

He turned over on the bed, rubbing an eye tiredly. It was pretty early-that much he could tell-but fresh cooked food? That sounded wonderful. He got out of bed, stretching and allowing himself to make his way down the hall. Of course, the smell lead him to where he wanted to be anyway: the kitchen.

He was, however, surprised to see that it was Tony who was cooking. The man turned at the sound of Ryan's bare feet on the floor and smiled. "Morning, kid. Hungry?" He asked, then noticed the child's confused look. "What? Just because I'm a billionaire doesn't mean I don't know how to cook."

"I just never thought you'd be the 'domestic' type." Ryan admitted.

Tony shrugged, flipping a couple of his pancakes and seemingly unfazed. "Sometimes I'm not. But I do like cooking... I've been a bachelor for so long, so I've obviously learned to cook. You kind of have to," he explained, tilting his head. "Now sit down, breakfast is almost ready."

"You actually made that for me?"

"For us. Pepper should be coming anytime now, she's taking a shower." Tony corrected, keeping his eyes firmly on Ryan. "Look, I know this is awkward. But Pepper was going to have to get to know you eventually. And she likes one-on-one time to do it."

Ryan nodded his head, then seated himself down at the table to allow Tony to dish out the pancakes. It was so strange, but in two days, Tony had shown him more welcoming and kindness than many foster homes had. "You know you don't have to do this, Tony..." Ryan replied. "Being so nice to me. Giving me a nice bedroom, cooking me breakfast."

Not for the first time, Tony was understanding that his friend really hadn't seen much kindness from adults, even after his mother died. "Ryan, I'm not doing this because I feel obligated to. You're a good kid, and I like you," he explained, placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder as the billionaire set the boy's food in front of him.

"You think I'm a good kid?" Ryan laughed a little, shaking his head. "I didn't get kicked out of so many foster homes because I'm perfect. I've lied, stolen, picked fights... I may look like a good kid, but I'm not..."

Tony shook his head. "You've had a shitty life. Of course you're going to rebel. I did the same thing when I was your age and I had a pretty good life." Ryan wasn't surprised - everyone knew Tony hadn't been so clean cut when he was younger, and he still wasn't always that way now either. "Just remember, you steal anything here and you're liable to end up in prison for a long time."

Ryan cracked a smile at the joke, letting Tony rub the top of his head. After a moment had passed, Tony spoke up again. "So did you sleep well? I hear sometimes it's hard for kids like you to sleep somewhere they're not familiar with."

Was Tony doing research now? Had he pried, he might have found out that Tony had, despite his slacker attitude. He'd actually done more research on the subject than he'd really cared to admit. And oddly enough, it was because he'd actually enjoyed having Ryan there the night before... enjoyed having another body than just him and Pepper in the house.

He took up the coffee he'd made himself from the counter. He couldn't think that way much though, he told himself. He could already see the headlines now: "Tony Stark: Billionaire, Bachelor, Single Dad?". The media circus would have a field day with how inept he was at it, and...

He shook his head. No, he told himself going into this it was just a mentorship. And a mentorship, he promised himself, it was going to stay.

He looked over at Ryan, who had covered his pancakes in syrup and was stuffing himself already when he finally responded. "I slept fine, Tony," Ryan replied. "Hey, do you think I could get a coffee too?"

"You drink coffee? You're thirteen. You're too young to be drinking this." Tony held up his own cup with a bit of surprise. "I have orange juice, soda, milk..."

Ryan looked as though he wanted to pout. But he quickly figured it wouldn't work on Tony. "Come on, Stark. Let me live a little." Ryan got up and started towards the coffee pot. "I do like coffee... It keeps me awake most mornings. I usually stop by McDonald's on the way to school and get it."

"You seem pretty awake to me." Tony replied. "Do you not sleep well?"

Ryan was silent for an unnervingly long time before speaking up. "I live in a group home, Tony. My first night there, someone got stabbed in their sleep." Ryan explained, to which Tony tensed. "They're supposed to confiscate stuff like knives, but some of the kids find a way. A lot of us are good kids... but sometimes you can't help but sleep with one eye open."

Tony stared for a long moment at Ryan. It definitely made his heart drop a bit to hear that. "And they make you walk to school?" He asked.

"I do that by choice. I hate the bus, and it's only a ten minute walk."

Tony was starting to get an even better picture of the boy's life now. Shaking his head, he decided it was time to change the subject. "Either way, no coffee... I don't need you wired at work today," he explained, then nodded. "Finish breakfast, we leave in thirty minutes."

"You're no fun." Ryan groaned.

"I'm tons of fun. But coffee is not for kids." Tony smirked.

And without thinking on it much more, he left the room to clear his head.

* * *

"This place is so much cooler than I even imagined!"

Tony and Pepper exchanged a smile at Ryan's look of awe when they entered Tony's office. It was true, of course; Stark Industries was one heck of a sight to behold. The man put a hand on Ryan's shoulder, and then nodded. "Well it is quite a sight, I agree. But you're only seeing my office. Pepper's going to show you the really cool stuff." He then added. "She's the CEO so she knows just as much as me..."

Pepper looked at Tony with a shrug. "He's right, though I'm not taking you anywhere too dangerous. Like somebody else would."

"Where's the fun in that?" Tony asked, seemingly shocked.

"I don't know, but I'd rather not face another lawsuit if he gets hurt," Pepper replied bluntly, to which Tony gave a simple eye-roll.

Ryan didn't seem to mind much, however, and simply looked around the office as they talked, in awe of the awesome technology Tony had. It was clear that he was going to see a lot of tech from the beginning though, with it being Tony Stark and all. Eventually, however, the arguing did cut into his fascination, at which point he finally spoke up. "Are you guys going to argue this entire time? Because I'll get comfy, maybe you can just show me how these computers work." He noted, running a hand along a fancy "computer".

"Hey! Careful with that! Not a toy!" Tony replied, speaking up quickly.

Ryan pulled back, though a little disappointed. Tony simply sighed, and then nodded. "The kid's right, we shouldn't be arguing this much. Just don't ruin his good time-show him the really cool stuff." Tony encouraged Pepper who nodded in agreement.

"Alright, kiddo, let's get started." Pepper turned her head toward her boyfriend, and gave him a pointed look. "And I already planned to show him the cool stuff. Safe doesn't mean 'lame'."

Ryan didn't know if he believed that, but he'd soon find out who was right.

* * *

He followed Pepper at a bit of a distance.

It wasn't that he was afraid of anything, but rather just plain nervous. He hadn't been alone with her up until this point, and he wasn't sure what to say or do. He simply listened to what Pepper was saying while watching the different experiments and inventions in awe. He really didn't know what half of them did, but they sure were cool!

He put his hands in his pockets, his eyes traveling everywhere they could. At least, everywhere but towards Pepper. He wanted to avoid making things too awkward as much as possible...

"So, if you don't mind me asking..." Ryan was forced to look at her now, given the nature of what she was implying. "What made you decide to actually take Tony up on his offer for mentorship? I wouldn't think he'd be anybody's first choice."

Ryan opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short of speaking. How did he phrase it in the least strange way? "I don't know... I guess part of it is because Tony was so kind to me... When he asked, I mean. I feel like a part of me wanted to see if he actually was just blowing smoke up his ass. Honestly."

A smile tugged at Pepper's lips. As if she was actually... amused? He had expected her to be insulted but instead... "Well, yeah, I can understand that," she chuckled. "Tony's a nice enough person when you get to know him. But saying he's rough around the edges would be putting it nicely."

"I think that's a prerequisite for being a superhero. Comic books are filled with people like that."

Pepper nodded, in her own way agreeing. "That's true... Unlike Tony, I actually HAVE read comics. So frankly, I think every superhero has to have a little 'something' to them like that." She explained. "I'm not sure about the real life ones though. I've only had first-hand experience with Tony and Rhodey."

"Rhodey?" Ryan asked. "Was he the guy in the grey armor at Stark Expo?"

"Bingo."

Ryan nodded his head, at least knowing a little about him. Mostly that he'd almost helped cause chaos there, before actually helping Tony out. "Is he like... Tony's sidekick now?" He asked curiously. "Because they seemed to make a good team."

The CEO snorted in response. "I think Tony would like to think so. But I think Rhodey fancies himself more of a solo act." Pepper explained, a genuine smirk on her face. "Stick around Tony long enough though, and he'll probably give you his own answer. You won't go long without meeting his best friend."

"If this thing even lasts that long," Ryan shrugged.

Pepper didn't reply to that. And Ryan, of course, had a good feeling as to why. She didn't even know how long Tony's fascination with him would last. It could be fleeting, it could be long-lasting, but Ryan had his money set on the former. "So... What do you usually do on weekends?" She asked as she carefully opened the door to one of the labs. "I mean... other than right now."

Ryan smiled, weekends being actually one of his favorite times. Sure, he mostly stayed at the group home, but... "Weekends are fun, because that's usually when my baseball games are." He explained, to which she looked surprised. "What? Just because I'm a writer, I can't play sports?"

"I'm just surprised. You didn't seem like the... team sport type."

Ryan tilted his head a bit, and gave a small shrug in response. "I guess I'm not that big of one. But my last foster home got me into it, trying to help me make friends," he explained. "And I think it's pretty fun. Even if I'm really just OK."

"I played softball when I was a little kid." Pepper pointed out. "Is it like, a little league or something?"

"Yeah, but part of an older division." Ryan replied. "Maybe if I stay at whatever high school I go to I'll go out for my school team."

"Stay?"

"Well, yeah. I've already been to six middle schools in three years," Ryan replied, giving a light chuckle. "I, uh... I kinda get into fights when kids pick on me. Schools aren't happy about keeping the 'weird foster kid' around then. Neither are foster parents."

Pepper looked at Ryan, and though not wanting to sound like a mother, felt compelled to ask... "Why do you fight so much?"

Ryan was silent, he rubbed his arm and tried to avoid her eye contact again. The CEO already had a feeling there was a deeper reason than just "bullying". "I learned to fight to protect myself. Sometimes you have to." He then added. "Same reason I told Tony I sleep with one eye open. You can't just trust everyone."

He expected a look of pity he felt she'd give him. He'd had enough of that in life as it was, and he was done with it. But surprisingly, Pepper only gave a smile, not even betraying a hint of it. "Well, I can't blame you there, I guess." She explained. "So, you want to see where Tony keeps his really cool inventions?"

"Wouldn't that probably classify as dangerous?" Ryan asked jokingly.

There was a shrug, and Pepper punched in a code in another door. "I guess I can let it slide at least this once..."

Ryan looked at her with a grin of his own. He was starting to like Pepper, much to his surprise. And he wasn't sure if that was going to be for the better or worse.

* * *

Tony hated the fact that he had to call the day short, because he was actually having fun.

But of course, some nutjob had to be staging an attack somewhere outside of DC. Which meant that, for all intents and purposes, Iron Man had to get out there and do something. It wasn't like the world could count on many others. So without giving much thought to it, he'd communicated to Pepper to bring Ryan back to the home as he took off to handle the issue.

It had been quite the battle to fight. A couple of terrorist-made robots, a few terrorists themselves... He'd really not enjoyed it, especially when he'd taken a few blows during the fight that seemed to leave him sore, and in general pain. So he was thankful that, after taking care of it, he was able to arrive at home without having to worry about much.

Pepper was, of course, waiting up in bed for him. She looked over him quietly, and took in his bruises. But of course, she was all too used to Tony's bruises after a fight now. No, she had a different look in her eyes this time. "What's up?" He managed, taking a deep breath.

"You're in over your head here, Tony." Well, that didn't take long. "This kid you're mentoring needs more than just fleeting guidance. Did you know that he's been to six schools in the last three years because of fighting?"

Tony looked a bit surprised, but wasn't much. At least, not after what he'd learned over the last two days. "Well, I'm not too shocked. He's a good kid, but he does have a lot of anger in him. Frankly, I'd be shocked if he didn't get into fights." Pepper groaned a bit. "Pepper, what do you want from me? I'm not father material..."

"But he needs some sort of parental role model."

Tony shook his head. "Mentoring him is the best I can do." Tony explained. "Honestly, can you imagine living life as the son of Iron Man? He'd probably grow up with more issues. Especially now... just a couple of months ago I was barely fit to take care of myself, let alone anyone else."

"That's not my point, Tony. But we should at least try and find him somewhere to live other than where he is right now." Pepper explained. "Nothing we're doing right now is going to change his life enough."

Tony snorted, and looked at her with a smirk. "Like who? Rhodey? Happy? Maybe we can give him to SHIELD and they can raise him to be some sort of super spy." He then added, with a joking tone. "He can be the real life James Bond."

"Tony."

The billionaire gave a deep sigh as he climbed into bed. "Alright, I'll see what I can do about getting him somewhere safer. I know a few people in the foster care program. If anything I can at least get him into a home that doesn't suck." He replied, seemingly defeated. "Until then though, I'm ready for some shut eye."

"And you'll make calls in the morning."

"Yes, honey."

"Don't 'yes, honey' me."

"Alright, alright, I'll do it." Tony replied.

They'd just have to see where it went from there.

* * *

A/N: And finally some movement. Sorry there was no real "action scene" at the end there. But I felt it'd just be filler for the storyline so I'm waiting for the right moment for an "action scene". But as Tony is still active as Iron Man, it'd be weird to not mention his escapades from time-to-time until then.


	5. An Invitation

A/N: Thanks to my beta, **CoGDork** , for their work on this chapter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**  
 **An Invitation**

"Dude, Tony Stark is sitting on the bleachers."

"I know."

"How are you not flipping out!?"

"Because he asked me if he could come."

Ryan looked over from the bullpen, where he and the rest of his baseball team were waiting for their turns at bat. He wasn't sure why Tony was there, really; he knew that the billionaire wasn't exactly a sports fan. But ever since Pepper had told Tony he was on a baseball team, Tony had been talking about it, so Ryan wasn't entirely surprised.

Tony had actually done a few things for him since the day he stayed over, including finding him a foster home away from that nightmare of a group home he'd lived in. It was with some friends, who weren't as rich as Tony by any means, but were still really nice. The father worked for Tony in his robotics division, while the mother was some sort of lawyer.

It didn't bother him that neither were at the game; both worked long hours, and were being kind to them thus far, so he was more than happy about that.

"So wait a second, Tony Stark actually is your mentor?" The same boy from before spoke up, his best friend on the team, a short, chubby kid called Ronnie, spoke up. "Holy crap, I thought you were being sarcastic."

Ryan chuckled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. He pushed back his blond hair a bit, looking at Ronnie. "No, I was being real. I've even been to his house." He explained to the wide-eyed boy. "What? It's not that big a deal... He's just really been helping me out. He's the reason I got out of that group home..."

Ronnie pulled his friend aside, poking him in the chest. "Not that big a deal? Bro, he came to your baseball game," he explained, giving him a fist bump. "Dude, imagine if he ended up adopting you."

Ryan laughed, long and hard. "Tony Stark is not going to adopt me, Ronnie. He's already set me up in the home of one of his employees." He explained, amused. "Besides, he's Iron Man. What kind of superhero has time for a kid?"

"Batman did! Oh, you could be his Robin!"

"He laughed off the Robin idea the other day. Too bad, I thought it would be cool too." Ryan explained, shrugging his shoulders. "But seriously, not gonna happen. He's too much of a... I don't know... Can you call a guy with a girlfriend a bachelor?"

"I uh... Don't know."

"Porter, on deck."

Ryan swallowed a bit, knowing it would be the first time he was at bat. With a quiet bit of nervousness, he carefully shifted his cap on his head. He'd lie if he said he didn't want to impress Tony. Even if he wasn't going to adopt him, and he probably wasn't after all, he wanted to impress him.

And so he felt a great deal of nervousness as he stepped out of the bullpen and into the circle. He hoped that the wait to be at bat would at least last three strikes. After all, the boy before him had never been that great a batter. But of course, it went by in a blink, and then he could hear his name called again.

He again searched the crowd for Tony, finding him within moments. Tony seemed to be joining in the clapping, though he looked a bit awkward of course. He tried, of course, to do his best, keeping his mind on the ball rather than on Tony. But he didn't manage to do anything impressive. A hit to the outfield had done little more than get caught.

And he didn't do much better the second time. Or the third time.

Each inning seemed to disappoint Ryan further. Even if it was so silly to try and impress Tony, he knew he could play better than this. So why wasn't he? Was he really so worried about looking bad in front of this man? "Ry, what's wrong with you?" Ronnie asked around inning seven. "You're one of our better batters."

Ryan wanted to tell him to shut up as he started toward the circle again. "It's nothing Ronnie, seriously..."

"Hey kid."

Ryan turned his head, surprised to find that Tony had stepped up to the fence. He looked at him, stupefied. "Uh, I thought you were gonna lay low?" Ryan asked as he stepped up to the fence, looking at him quietly. "I know, I suck." He added, seeing the look on Tony's face.

"Well, you're not bad." Tony shrugged. "But I don't know much about baseball."

"Figured."

"I just wanted to make sure everything was OK." Tony admitted. "You keep looking at me instead of the ball."

Ryan looked annoyed that Tony didn't even catch on. He wanted to shout at him that he was trying to impress him, but he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to make Tony uncomfortable, and frankly, he felt the same way about himself. "Forget about it, Tony. I'm fine." Ryan finally managed. "I just need to get my head in the game."

Tony tilted his head, clearly not entirely believing Ryan's comment. He pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, and looked at Ryan with a look of concern. "Ryan, look at me." The boy met his gaze only after a long moment of stubbornness. "If I'm a distraction, forget I'm even here. I'll keep cheering you on, but you gotta get your mind off of it. I came here because I thought you'd at least enjoy having a cheering section..."

"I do." Ryan admitted.

"But you want to impress me." Tony finally caught on.

Ryan looked at him for a long moment, opening his mouth to argue. But what was the point of that? "And what if I am?" Ryan asked, getting frustrated now. "You're already seeing that I suck."

"Only because you're paying too much attention to me. Look kid, I'm not here because I want to see you be an all-star. This is little league, it's not the major leagues." Ryan's jaw set as Tony explained this. "Go out there, have fun. And stop trying so hard. That's what I'm here to see, got it?"

"Ryan, you're up!"

Ryan turned his head slowly, then looked at Tony. "I can at least try..."

Ryan had no idea that as he walked away, things went on in Tony's mind that he couldn't comprehend.

The boy was trying to impress him, he'd gotten him a good family and it was Tony he was trying to impress.

Tony tried his best to wrap his mind around that as they left the field about an hour later. Ryan had finally gotten himself together and stopped focusing on what Tony thought. At least, that was what the hero gathered by the fact that he had played considerably better the next two innings.

But the fact that Ryan had focused on impressing Tony surprised him. Maybe it was just because he was there - and not the good family Tony had set him up with. But for one reason or another, he felt as though there was far more to it than that.

And so, as he carried the boy's bat bag in a kind gesture, he decided to dig in a less obvious way. "So, how are things going with Will and Karen?" He asked, bringing up the employee and his wife he'd asked to foster the boy, having been in the program for years. "Safer than the group home, at least?"

Ryan gave a small smile as he looked over at Tony. "They're great, really great. Honestly Tony, I can't thank you enough for getting me out of there." He replied, having reiterated that last part for the eight time since it happened. "I actually can sleep for once... They make me feel safe."

Tony smiled a little, that he liked to hear. At the very least he could rest easy at night knowing that his friends were as good of people as they made themselves out to be. "That's good. Pepper and I got really worried after our talk, honestly. That place sounded like a hellhole." He explained as they finally reached Happy and one of Tony's more conspicuous cars. "Happy, come on we're going to my place."

"Shouldn't I get back to the Plummer's?"

Tony gave a half-hearted shrug, looking over at Ryan. "It's only 3:30, they won't be home for a bit. And I want to talk about what happened out there on the field." Ryan stiffened, not knowing Tony to want to get right to the point. "I just want to make sure we understand each other..."

Ryan shook his head. "It was nothing, Tony. You just put a lot of faith in me... I wanted to do good. It was no big deal." He explained as he got in the back seat, followed within seconds by his mentor. "I mean, let's face it, I'm hanging out with Iron Man. You aren't going to want to hang out with some average kid."

Tony scoffed, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips. Licking the corner of his lip, he was very blunt in his response: "You're hardly an 'average kid' Ryan." The teenager in question reacted in surprise as Tony continued. "The whole reason we're doing this was because you barged in to Stark Industries and shouted at me like you owned the place; I wouldn't call that something the 'average kid' would do."

Ryan guessed that was true. Sure, it had taken a lot of coaxing of himself to do so, but he had done it. "Yeah, well, that was a rare moment of bravery... and stupidity. Desperation, more like it," he commented. "The bravest I get is during our Call of Duty matches."

That was the game he and Tony had played a lot on Xbox when he was over. It was fun, even if it got a bit intense. But like he'd said, he was good at it. "You know we're getting off topic..." Tony replied, tilting his head. "Fine, I'll believe that it was nothing this time... But you gotta get your head out of that mindset, kid. I like you. That's not going to change..."

Ryan didn't argue any further. Frankly, he had a feeling that he was getting out of this easy. After a long period of silence, Tony spoke up again. "So speaking of which: Next weekend, I got a charity gala thing... Pretty boring, Pepper set it up..."

"Ah, so we can't do anything next weekend. Got it."

"Actually, if you had let me finish. I wanted you to come." Ryan looked ready to fight that already, but after a moment, Tony held up his hand. "I'll help you get a suit and tie in time. But I do want you to come. It's for kids in foster care..."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it shook her up, huh?" Ryan asked.

Tony nodded. "Pretty much, and it'd really help the cause to have you there. Not to mention I don't exactly like blowing you off." At least Tony was being honest about it, though Ryan still looked unsure. "You don't have to. But we'd both really like it if you did come."

"I don't have to talk about anything I don't want to, right?" Ryan asked.

"Anyone gets that personal and they'll deal with me." Tony promised, getting an idea of what that meant. "You don't have to talk about anything you haven't already told me."

That was good-because the less Tony knew, the better. Ryan had a harder life than just what he'd experienced in the group home. And the truth was he didn't want to go sharing information with total strangers about it either. "Alright, yeah, I'll do it. But I can't promise I'll know what I'm doing. My life hasn't exactly been one involving the 'social elite.'"

"Eh, I don't usually play nice either. We'll be a pair!"

Ryan smirked, glad to have the conversation off of the other subject, at least for now. But now he had a feeling the butterflies in his stomach were only going to get worse until this gala.

* * *

A/N: I know this was a shorter chapter. But wanted to finish it before I went away from the weekend. Next chapter should be normal length! Hope you all enjoyed anyway!


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